Give it all you have or say no ...

In my opinion, but I doubt any leader will think otherwise, when you, a follower accept an invitation, you owe to your partner (and to yourself) to give to that dance ALL (the attention and emotion) you are capable of giving.

I've danced with some really advanced followers and it was heaven. Then I danced with some other real advanced followers and it was ... disappointing. Not because it was a bad dance, but because it was not as fantastic as it could of been.

Look, while I am a pretty good dancer, especially for the amount of time I've been dancing, I understand that for a very experienced follower dancing with me will not be an earth shattering experience. But thinking about your laundry while dancing or working on your posture or saying hi to your friends that just came in WILL NOT contribute to the quality of the dance. It will certainly make it disappointing for me.

You see, because I am not very experienced, my lead, while there, might not be as clear as it can be. But if you REALLY pay attention, you can "hear it". If you're just going through the motions, while your checking out the rest of the dancers or thinking about what you're going to make for dinner tomorrow, you WILL miss it, I don't care how good you are.

So, please, do me a favor. If you don't think you can tune out EVERYTHING but the music and the connection while dancing with me, don't accept the invitation. Just say, "I don't think I can give you my best tonight". I'll know exactly what you mean and not only I'm not going to be upset, but I will be grateful.